Wilderness 🐆

In our accommodation in the Okavango Delta, I can count myself lucky that there is now even Wi-Fi in the rooms – because now we have truly arrived in the wilderness.

Although 'rooms' isn't entirely accurate: We are staying in large tents on stilts, accessed via elevated wooden walkways. There are nine such tent-rooms in total, and essentially everything takes place outside.

What I particularly like is that the lodge is in Botswanan hands, and a portion of the tourism revenue is reinvested back into the region – including early childhood education, support for mothers and newborns, and research and conservation projects.

Here, too, we have the opportunity for game drives. But already as we set off, we notice that this is different from Chobe. We encounter only a handful of other jeeps; our camp has a maximum of three in operation. This time, we are also accompanied by not only one guide but additionally a scout.

Both men are 'Delta Boys,' as they call themselves: born and raised here. They probably know not just each other inside out but also this landscape and its inhabitants. They recognize every animal sound, read tracks, and seem to know every bush in this seemingly endless area. They don't need GPS. All of it is in their heads – or, as they say: They are the GPS. 😉

Despite the trust we have gained in them, I feel tenser than during our previous safaris. The paths are less traveled, the impalas much shyer, and driving 'off-road' seems completely normal – although 'road' is a strong exaggeration. 😅

In between, we encounter research vehicles with crews monitoring the wildlife. Often, we almost get the impression that we're not participating in a tourist activity but getting a chance to accompany the rangers in their work.

Of course, we again come across various wild animals, though not nearly as densely as in Chobe. And when we see the lions that killed a giraffe last night, it's pretty clear what wilderness truly means.

I notice how tense I am, and the encroaching darkness doesn't exactly help my relaxation. Now we are looking for nocturnal animals. The phone must stay off so as not to disrupt the darkness.

When we finally reach the camp, I feel quite relieved. After dinner, we collapse into bed completely exhausted.

But: Wilderness is indeed wilderness at night. It rustles and cracks; something is moving around and on our tent, and when the alarm clock rings at 5:30 a.m., we feel only moderately rested. I also feel a cold coming on, with a runny nose and headache. Great. 🙄

A brief breakfast outside by the campfire – and then it's already time to go: Morning Drive.

Now the delta shows itself from a completely different side. Beautiful morning light, many giraffes and zebras, a large herd of buffalo – and of course, many, many photos. 📸

Afterwards, it gets unusually quiet: We are allowed to take a tour on the water. Traditionally, the boats, called mokoros, were made from hollowed-out logs. To avoid cutting down any more trees for this, the mokoros used here today are made from fiberglass.

And just before we head back after about four hours, a special moment awaits us: a leopard.

We get so close that my excitement eventually turns into a certain discomfort. Especially as he seems to be getting more animated. At some point, I ask to move on.

I'm quite the scaredy-cat. 😅

At lunch, George, another guide, joins us. He is significantly older than the others and seems to be a bit of the boss here. We get onto the topic of poaching.

“Where there are humans, there is poaching,” says George.

However, the government is taking very strict measures against it. There are specific rules about who can move in the delta when and with what weapon. Our mokoro tour's leading boat also had a large rifle on board – “just in case.”

Then George tells us something that makes us swallow hard: If he catches a poacher in the act here, he claims he is allowed to shoot him without any further investigations against him being initiated afterwards. The police would only come to remove the body from the area.

🫢

We can't judge if the legal situation is really that clear-cut. But the ease with which George talks about it clearly indicates how seriously poaching is taken here – and how distanced this world is from our own.

This afternoon, we have decided to take a break. No further safari, no scheduled program.

Just sitting in the tent, gazing at this incredible landscape, enjoying the silence, and reflecting a bit on what we have experienced in the past few days.

That is quite enough.

Although... I need to pause for a moment: Two waterbucks just ran right past our terrace. 🤩

Game Drive seems to be completely unnecessary. 😎